Saturday, February 28, 2009

Muggle Studies homework

I must confess, I do have a soft spot for Muggles. I thought that would make this part of our homework easy, but it only helped a little. But I must say, Muggles can be very creative in overcoming their lack of magic.

This was definitely the easiest one for me, because I'm a big fan of the game it's from. This is a club from a Muggle game called "baseball". Only they don't call it a club, they call it a bat. Since Muggles can't use brooms, they play this game by running around on the ground. The "pitcher" throws a ball at a batter, who uses the "bat" to hit the ball, similar to hitting a bludger. Then the batter runs around the "bases" as fast as he can, while the other team tries to catch the ball and tag him with it. Some Muggles are as big of fans of baseball as we are of Quidditch.

This is called a "can opener". Muggles buy some kinds of food in metal containers called "cans". They are sealed up tight and keep the food from spoiling. But since the metal is so hard, it requires a special tool to cut them open. The round pieces are a sharp cutting edge, and a gear that moves the can around while it's getting cut. There's a handle on the other side that makes the can go around. I do have a can opener myself, but it isn't like this one. Mine used a sort of Muggle magic called "electricity" that is somehow stored in the walls.

This is called a "lawn mower". Muggles use it to keep the grass in their lawns short. Sometimes they have motors, which makes them noisy and smelly. Other ones just have turning blades that move when the mower is pushed. Those are quiet, but harder to push.

This is called an "iron" even though I'm not sure if it's made with iron or not. This get's hot, and Muggles use it to get the wrinkles out of their clothes. They put the clothing on a padded board and then move the flat part of the iron around on top, smushing out the wrinkles.